As a pair of highly admired Premier League midfielders, Vieira and Gerrard now come face to face in the dugout instead, with Vieira saying he has "massive respect" for his opposite number this weekend.
"[As a player] he was part of the best," the Palace manager said. "I would put him in the same category as [Paul] Scholes and [Roy] Keane, he could do everything when he was a player. He could go box to box, score goals, defend.
"He was part of those holding midfielders who brought more creativity going forward, scoring goals, and this is one of the reasons why managers are being more demanding on holding midfielders.
"Twenty years ago a holding midfielder got the ball and just gave it left or right, but now the game has completely changed because of players like Steven Gerrard.